Fibre container with reclosure cover



Nov. 27, 1956 D. c. FooRD FIBRE CONTAINER WITH RECLOSURE COVER Filed April 3, 1955 INVENTOR.

' DEL/SEPT C. FOOE'D United tat 2,772,343 Patented Nov. 27, i956 FIBRE CONTAINER Wl l H RECLOSURE COVER Delbert C. Foord, West Hempstead, N. Y., assigner to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Ilersey Application April 3, 1953, Serial No. 346,677

7 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) The present invention relates to libre containers for cottage cheese, ice cream and similar products and has particular reference to such a container having a mouth construction protected by a readily removable and replaceable friction plug closure.

An object of the invention is the provision of a fibre container for cottage cheese, ice cream and the like products wherein the closure member fully closes the mouth of the container and covers adjacent friction walls and anges surrounding the mouth to protect these walls and llanges and the product within the container from contamination.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the closure is of the friction plug type which is readily removable from the container and may be utilized as a reclosure.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the structure surrounding the mouth of the container provides a rigid and strong seat for the friction plug closure to insure tight frictional tit between the closure and its seat.

Another object is the provision of such a container wherein the friction seat surrounding the mouth of the container is provided with a free resilient terminal portion adapted to securely lock the friction plug closure in place but which is resilient enough to permit clearance of an enlarged portion of the plug and also easy removal of the closure from the container.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a sealed container embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the friction plug closure removed and in exploded relation to the container;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the container and is taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 3 3 in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing a fragmentary portion of a modied form of the invention.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawing illustrate an all fibre container for ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, delicatessen store products, home freezer use and the like. The container preferably is parain coated and is of square or rectangular configuration although the invention is equahy well adapted to other coatings and to cylindrical or other shaped containers.

The container comprises a tubular body 12 (Figs. l, 2 and 3) which preferably is made from a single blank of fibre material and bent along transverse lines to set olf four at side walls 13, the marginal end portions of the blank being overlapped and adhesively secured together to provide a side seam 14. At its lower end, the body 12 preferably is necked-in and its marginal edge portions interfolded with a bottom closure member to provide a bottom l5 for the container.

At its top end, the marginal edge portion of the body l2 is bent inwardly and upwardly to provide a short inclined wall section i7 (Fig. 3) which merges into a short upright or vertical wall section i8, thus forming a short neclf.. or necked-in section on the container adjacent its mouth. The upper continuation of the vertical Wall section 13 merges into a laterally, outwardly projecting flange wall section i9. This ilange wall section i9 terminates in substantial vertical alignment with the outer face of the side walls 13 of the body.

Continuation of the ilange wall section 19 merges into an inwardly extending and overlapping top flange wall section 2l, which follows the contour of the flange wall section i9, and which top flange continues down into the container adjacent the vertical wall section 1S in parallelism thereto to provide a substantially straight vertical friction seat wall section 22 disposed parallel to the body wall section i8. The top flange Wall section 2l and the friction seat wall section 22 are bonded to the adjacent ilange wall section i9 and vertical wall section i3 respectively by a suitable adhesive 2S interposed between the adjacent walls.

The bonded ilange wall sections 19, 2l thereby set off a rigid, strong double thickness ilange 25 surrounding the top of the body l2. ln a similar manner the bonded vertical wall section 1S and friction seat wall section 22 set ott a rigid, strong double thickness Vertical neck which denes a full, open, filling and dispensing mouth 26 for the container and provides a smooth friction seat for a friction plug closure member 27.

The lower or terminal edge of the friction seat wall section 22 depends a small distance below the vertical wall section L3 and provides a free resilient locking wall 2S which is disposed in spaced relation to the body wall and is thus free to move laterally outwardly under pressure of the friction plug closure 27 as willvbe described more in detail hereinafter.

The friction plug closure member 27, like the other parts of the container is preferably made of fibre material and is formed with an imperforate countersunk panel wall surrounded by a substantially straight vertical friction wall 3l (Fig. 3) which nts within the mouth 26 of the container body l2 and frictionally seats against the friction wall section 22 of the container when the closure is in place. The upper edge of the closure friction wall 3l merges into a partially curved and outwardly extending flange 32 which in general follows the outer peripheral contour `of the container body flange 2l, 25, overlapping `and extending slightly beyond the outer edge of the container body flange 2S to entirely cover and protect the latter against exposure and contamination. Along one edge of the friction plug closure 27, the right as viewed in the drawings, the closure ilange 32 is provided with a continuing pull integral tab 33 which extends for nearly the full length of the ange on that edge of the closure.

The closure friction wall 3l extends the entire depth `of the container friction wall section 22 and its terminal locking wall 2S. Adjacent the lower edge of the locking wall 23, the closure friction wall 3l nerges into a resilient outwardly bulged or expanded wall section or bead 35 which in turn merges into an imperforate or solid bottom wall 35 which constitutes the bottom of the closure. The head or enlargement 35 projects under the lower edge of the resilient locking wall 2g for a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the locking wall and thus locks the closure 27 in place in the mouth of the conrainer.

ln such a container, the friction plug closure member contents of the container.V

V27 ineludingit's expanded lower section or locking bead Y'35,'vmay be completely prefor'rne'dlas'rshownniniFig. 2f

- i 12,7r2,7o4s

Vtendant advantages will beY understood from the foregoing description,andY it'wi'll be apparent Vthat various changes may be made in the form, construction land arrangement of the par-ts without departing from the spirit and scopeV of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, Vthe form hereinbefore described being Y merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

VYwardly, the resilient enlargement or bead 35 on the clo sure' presses the freely movable, resilient locking wall 2310i the container outwardly, thus permitting the pro- Y jecting bead 351to pass and snap under the lower edge i Vof the locking Wall 28.

VV The closure bead V35 like the locking wall 2S and the other parts of the structure, except the pull tab 35, eX- tends entirelyV or annularly around the container and olosure and thus the'closure is securely locked against displ'avcement.V TheV continuous closure Y'structure cornprising the Vbottom Wall 3o, bead 35, friction wall 31 and ange 32 constitutes a complete tight fitting covering for the entrance to the container and the adjacent wall faces 1 including the container ange 2S andthus protects these faces and the contents of Ythe container from exterior contamination.YV y Y 1 Y' Y When it isdesired to open the'cont-ainer, a slightup- Ward puii on the pull tab 33 springs the closure bead V35 past the resilient locking wall 28 and lifts the adja- Y Y cent edge of the closure 27 out of the mouth of the con- Y tainer inlamannerreverse .to that inwhich it was inl Vsperted. rl`he closure may then be readily withdrawn.

free fullyV open mouth results to facilitate access to the orv the cor'rtainerY is effected by the removal of the closure. t Hence botlttheY container andthe closure .maybeV reus'ed. .Y Y Y In theV modified vform :of the inventionf'disclosed in VFig. V4 the marginal edge portionrat'the top end of VtheV body 12 Vis lbentinwardly and downwardly inY vertical parallelism withY the side Walls i3 to provide the short upright Vor vertical wall section i8, the friction seat wall sectionrZZ and the free resiiient locking wall 23 Vdepend- 'ing from the friction seat wall section 22 as in .the `pre- No damage to the closure i claim:

Y I. A container comprising Yarr'ibrous body member haya# ing .a closed 'bottom and. connected upright sidewalls Y terminating in an Vinwardly offset reversely folded depending straight peripheral ange disposed parallel Vand adhesively secured to said body side walls to constitute a peripheral friction seat wapllof doublenthickness defining Y the open container mouth, said connectedrside Walls having a laterally outwardly offset peripheral portion beneath saidfriction seat wall, said seat Wall flange terminating in affreely depending resilient flange extension constitutY i ing an"V annular 'closure memberrlocking wall'1 of singleV thickness surrounding the container mouthytheV inner ter- Y minal endrof said depending'fla'ngeextensionbeing spaced laterally inwardly from ,said Offset peripheral portion of the body side walls beneath said friction seattwall, a cupsha-ped friction plug closure member insertableinV said mouth for closingV the container, said closure memberV having a countersunk panel wall and an upstanding substantially straight peripheral friction wall fortting close- Y ly against said friction seat wall ofthe body member,Y the inner end of said countersunk closure member panel walll j Y Vbeneath its said Vstraight friction wall having preformed peripheral portions extending laterally outwardlyV beyond ferred form of the invention shown in Fig. 3.' The vertifV Y calw'all section 1:8 and the friction seat wall section 22 Y l arev bonded together by'a Ysuitable adhesive 23 interposed between these wall sections in the same manner ias disclosed in preferred form yofthe invention.

instead of the necked-in feature as shown in Fig. 3,

the modified forni of the invention as disclosed in Fig. 4 features an outwardly projecting bead 4i which is formedV inthe body wallsV 13 and which is disposed adjacent'the Yresilient'loclcing wall 2g. This bead if extends entirely peripherally 'around the body 12 and provides an annular interior clearancel space 421 adjacentV the locking wall 28 for the free flexing or outward or lateral movementfof theflocking wall during insertion of the frictiomplugVV closure 27 into locked positioninithc mouth 26 Yof nthe container and during removal therefrom as explained above. YThe bead 2 preferably extends from the terrni- Y nal edgeA of the vertical wall sec-tion iSito a location iin-V mediately below the bottom Vwall 36 of the closure 27 so that the clearanceV space 42 also Vaccommo'dates the eX- YV-panded wall section'or'bead 3S Yof the closure.

In this manner the bead d1 in the modified form of the VinventionY provides for the same clearance spaceY as the necked-inportion 17 of the preferred form and thus Y the resilient locking wall 28 is inV spaced Yrelation to all walls of the body and hence free to movelaterally under inbefnre. Y

i pressure Vof the friction plug closure 27 as described here-V y VIt is'thought that the invention and many Yof itsriatthe planeV of said friction wall seat Vfor yieldable engage-Y ment'beneath saidV resilient locking flange-extension ofV said body member to removably secure the closure memt bef in place Yon the container mouth, land a pull tablon saidV closure member for pulling the latter free from beneath Vsaid locking nwall Yto open the container without .Y

damagingV said locking wall and'fsaid laterally" extending peripheral panel wall portions of thevclosure 'membenV` Y 'whereby the latter may be utilized Vto recloseV the container.

2. A container comprising artibrou'sfbody member hav-lV ing an upright side wall having a laterally outwardly offsetVU peripheral portion and terminating at its outer end in a reversely Y.and inwardly foldedY straight peripheral ange. disposedr parallel to said side wall to constitute a friction seat wall defining Vthe open container mouth, Vsaid seat wall terminating in a freely depending resilient flange extension constituting a closure member locking Wall of singletliickness Ysurrounding the container mouthftheY inner'endof said depending frange extension beingspaced .i laterally inwardly from said offset peripheral portion of the body side Wall beneath saidy friction seat walLand a friction plug closure memberY insertable in said mouth forY closing the container, saidV closure member having' a Vcountersunk panel wall terminating in an upstanding'sub stantially straight peripheral friction wall for fitting closelyV against said body member friction seat wall, the inner end .of said countersunk closurememberppanel wallbeneathV its saidV straightfriction wallV having preformedV peripheral portionsl extending laterally outwardly for yieldable engagement beneath saidV resilientflangerfeirten-tVV sion of/said body member side Wall to removably lock the' closure member in placeon thecontainer.mouth.y

3. The container of lclaim 2 in which the kupright WallY Y' and the adjacentifolded friction` seatpwall of the'body member are bonded together Vwith a suitable adhesive t0 Y rigidify said friction seat wall. Y

4.VV The' container of claim 2 in Y 'ispositiron' of said frictionV seat Wall portion Vofthe body Vmember laterally inwardlyofthe outer wall face of the i body provides a neck on the body andL alsoY provides aY peripheral clearance space adjacent said freely depending lockingrwall on said'body to insure Vunobstructed .laterali movement of said locking WalliduringY insertionof said which the described i friction plug closure member into locked position in said mouth and during its removal therefrom.

5. The container of claim 2 in which the mouth of said body member is rectangular in conguration.

6. The container of claim 2 in which the reversely folded body ange includes an outwardly extending peripheral flange of double thickness and said friction Wall of the friction plug closure member terminates at its upper end in an outwardly extending peripheral ange overlapping said peripheral body ange when the closure member is in place on said body to protect said body ange against contamination.

7. The container of claim 2 in which the body side wall is provided with an annular outwardly projecting bead disposed adjacent said locking wall to provide a 15 clearance space for said locking wall to insure free movement of said locking wall ange extension during insertion of said friction plug closure into locked position in said mouth and during removal therefrom.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

